Gillian Gilks

Gillian M. Gilks MBE (formerly Gillian Perrin, and later Gillian Goodwin; born 20 June 1950) is an English former badminton player who won numerous major titles in all three events (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s. Gilks was the first ever women's singles world number one in the first IBF world ranking release in 1978.

Tall and slender in her badminton prime, with elegant, accurate strokes, Gilks is the most successful player ever in the European Badminton Championships with 12 titles, two of them in women's singles, four in women's doubles and six in mixed doubles. She is also one of the most successful players in the long history of the All England Open Championships with eleven titles; two in women's singles, three in women's doubles, and six in mixed doubles. In 1976 she won all three events at the All Englands making her the last person to "sweep the board" there in a single year. She also won a Gold and bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics when badminton was played as a demonstration sport. In 1999 she was inducted into the World Badminton Hall of Fame.